Although it may not have been noticeable at first, something was missing at the 40th annual Mifflin Street Block Party. No, it wasn't the blaring music or raucous crowds lining the streets. It wasn't the swarm of police officers and crowd control in place to keep the student-heavy population in check. Rather, the annual bash was missing the usual increased number of handcuffed partygoers and arrested revelers, signaling a marked change from previous years.
The impact of the event's sponsorship cannot be ignored. In 2006, the Madison Police Department issued approximately 265 tickets, and in 2007, the number of citations reached 366. Last year's event racked up around 440 arrests alone, with 63 partygoers being taken to jail. This year's Mifflin Street Block Party boasted only 140 arrests and only two people taken to jail.
The numbers do not lie. Everything was in place for this year's Mifflin to be another arrest fest. A beautiful day combined with an estimated attendance of 15,000 people had all the makings of another 400-arrest afternoon, but the sponsorship changed the atmosphere. More accessible bathrooms offered partygoers a legal place to relieve themselves, the partial barricades kept the crowds controlled and the lack of front-yard bands made noise complaints and house raids relatively unnecessary.
DCNY PRO's involvement, along with WSUM Radio, seemed like the perfect influence to the annual bash: Not enough to become an overblown yellow-tape mess like Freakfest, but enough to provide relaxed entertainment, accessible amenities and a purpose to the event. Whether the police felt a bit less pressured to enforce their rules for the annual block party because of the influence of sponsorship is difficult to say, but initial feedback appears to support how the Madison Police Department patrolled the event. Even with a presence of around 120 officers, revelers did not seem as concerned about MPD's presence in the streets, sidewalks and backyards on Mifflin Street.
If early impressions are any indication, the sponsorship of Mifflin was a large success, and the event did not lose any of its luster. If anything, the passive and subtle involvement by both DCNY PRO and WSUM Radio could serve as a model for Freakfest, an event that has lost its charm because of increasing ticket prices, a multitude of band stages and severe police crackdown. Mifflin's sponsorship was orchestrated beautifully, an encouraging sign in the shadow of Freakfest's slow demise.
